This short video introduces the impacts of climate change
on water resources and people.
Video courtesy of youtube.com
According to a report by CARE International,
in East Africa climate change will be directly felt in terms of the following:
- Higher temperatures- Changes in the timing and quality of rains
- An increase in the frequency of climate hazards including floods, droughts, and storms
- Sea level rise
Temperatures in Africa rose by 0.7° C during the 20th century. More precipitation is expected in those parts of East Africa that have been historically wetter and this could cause flooding and soil erosion. As discussed in a previous blog, the glaciers and snow cover on Mt. Kilimanjaro have been retreating and melting. For example, scientists have observed 55% glacier loss between 1962 and 2000. On the coasts, coral bleaching in the western Indian Ocean region has caused a 30% loss of corals, which in turn has reduced tourism in places like Zanzibar.
How will climate change influence access
to water? Also according CARE
International, the availability of freshwater in Tanzania is expected to
decrease by 1/2 of 1990 levels by 2025.
This will cause water stress, and is a concern in Tanzania because 1/4
of the population already spends over 30 minutes per day walking to collect
water. A decrease in water availability
may force communities to walk farther and search harder for water. Access to water can also cause tensions and
violence between communities. A recent
study by John O'Loughlin, a geography professor at the University of Colorado - Boulder, explored the
connection between climate change and conflict in East Africa.
This study examined 16,359 individual conflicts from 1990 to 2009 and
found that much warmer than normal temperatures raise the risk of violence. For example, in Kenya , in September 2012 there were clashes between the Pokomo and Orma communities
over water and land, which caused the killing of at least 30 people.
These two groups both rely on the Tana river to provide water for their
livestock and tensions have been exacerbated in the past few years due to
drought.
Photo of women in Tanzania fighting over water
Photo courtesy of www.sauti-zetu.org
Amy, thank you for exploring this topic in your blog. The issue of climate justice is often left out of the dialogue about climate change, at least within mainstream U.S. media sources. What types of ethical considerations must be examined when people contributing to the problem least are disproportionately affected by the consequences? In studying international development in college, it seemed that Africa was viewed as a lost cause - too much political turmoil and social malfunction to repair. This position, however, is coming from the lens of western, industrialized thinking. I wonder how such conflicts will be reconciled in the coming years as more and more pressure is put on communities/countries because of climate change.
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